I’m with Rob. And adding to what he said: I feel that a better title for these threads would be ‘Real and fake’ instead of ‘Real or fake?’ — a question which, I fear, can’t but be answered by the latter of the two descriptions —, because that’s what these tracks offer: on the one (and very generous) hand, there’s the impressive and thoroughly enjoyable reality of Max, very fine piano player and captivating improviser, but on the other, there’s that undeniable fakeness of the jazz trio emulation.
Put simply: the ‘trio thing’ in both this and the previous track doesn’t work (neither musically nor mockup-wise): whatever the bass and the drums contribute never supports or matches, let alone interacts with, your piano playing. And that’s not just a musical problem, it’s also the main reason why the illusion doesn’t illude.
A small mix-related comment: as with the earlier track, to my ears, the piano appears again to be positioned behind the bass and the drums in your mixes. There’s no rule that says that it shouldn’t be (although it’s definitely not the standard way of presenting a jazz trio, as I’m sure you know), but if you were to put the piano in front of the bass and the drums — give the piano slightly less room response, and the other two a bit more —, it would at least be one small step in masking the fake and unsatisfactory presence of the virtual bass a bit. The drums, I’m afraid, are beyond such salvation. They require far more drastic measures.
Still, having said all that, the sheer quality — and reality — that you bring to these tracks as a piano player is of such convincing power, that the absence of anything comparable in the other ingredients of the music is easily, gladly and even gratefully digested. In short: thanks for both these tracks. Very nice work.
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